USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 45
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 45
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DEEPWELL PRECINCT
S. O. Lanterman came from linois in 1883, B. J. MeDannel came from lowa in 1883, Martin Wunderlich came from Minnesota in 1879, Albert Cleal came from Illinois in 1880. Benjamin Wilson eame to Nebraska in 1873. Pat Sullivan came from Chicago in 1879, John A. Marks came from Pennsylvania m 1872. David MeKibben eame from Iowa in 1884, John Marvel came from Illinois in 1882. Thos. Talich came to Nebraska in 1892, C. B. Huffman came
359
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
from Pennsylvania in 1883, Jas. W. Marod came from Illinois in 1883, R. A. Smith came from Maine, 1897, Lewis Sharp came to Nebraska in 1883, W. H. Turner came from Illinois in 1882, Henry Littler came from Illinois in 1872, W. Dearing came from Illinois in 1872, E. F. Mapes came from Illinois in 1879, W. HI. Mapes came from Illinois in 1879, Henry Scheister came to Nebraska in 1888, John Schwarzentraber came from Illinois in 1888. Andy Cavett came from Illinois in 1883, J. B. Garrett came from Illinois in 1883, L. E. Otto came from Illinois in 1885, William MeDonnell came from Montana in 1882, S. P. Marvel came to Nebraska in 1884, R. W. Ran- dall came from Illinois in 1882, E. E. Eaton came from Iowa in 1878, Henry Falmlen came from Illinois in 1885, R. Il. Peard came from Wisconsin in 1872, Vie. Rhenchand came from Wisconsin in 1879, G. B. Hierstead came from Michigan in 1883, G. L. Levee came from Iowa in 1873, R. N. James came from Wisconsin in 1873, Wm. Heavit came to Nebraska in 1893, Adolph Hilpert came from Illinois in 1885, Valentine Ilorn came from Illinois in 1881, August Baartz came from Illinois in 1886, Arthur Mocraft came to Nebraska in 1893, W. W. Cavett came to Nebraska in 1887, Jas. Kirkpatrick came from Illinois in 1881, A. E. Chapman came from Hall County, Nebraska, in 1883, Frank C. Putman came to Nebraska in 1872, B. F. Turner came from Illinois in 1882.
PHILLIPS PRECINCT
Of the settlers who came to Phillips Precinct in the decade of the seventies there remained in 1897, among others, J. W. Miller, who came in 1872 from Illinois; Daniel De Vore, in 1887 from lowa; W. H. England, in 1877 from Indiana ; George A. England, from Maryland in 1874, living on the home place of Samnel England, who died in the early nineties, and Hiram England, from Maryland in 1874, and that same year S. N. Lysinger came from Illinois; 1879 saw Henry England from Indiana, Eli Decker of Ohio and Romanzo Sharp from Illinois, George Crumrine came from Iowa in 1872, as did B. N. Miller from Illinois. Among the arrivals of the early eighties were J. M. Hunt from Iowa; D. F. Roach of Illinois in 1880; J. M. Wills, 1881; John Scanlon, from Ohio, 1882; Charles Wiles, 1883, from Illinois; W. J. Newell from Massachusetts in 1882, Charles Bergmark, 1882; M. V. Cummings, from Illinois in 1880; E. B. DeVore, 1882; Henry MeCoy, 1880.
MONROE PRECINCT
Olans Anderson came from Illinois in 1882; Alexander Coleman came from Įowa in 1882; Robert Eyres came from Iowa in 1872; Frank Hansen came from Maryland in 1882; Robert Miller came from Iowa in 1871, and was practically the original permanent settler; Scott brothers, W. B., L. M. and J. M. came from Page County, Iowa, in 1882; W. O. Moore came from Iowa in 1883, and bought from George Pierce and Mose Phillips; IIenry Short came from Illi- nois in 1874; Peter Lloyd came from Kansas in 1871; Frank Short came from Illinois in 1883; J. P. Cherry came from Iowa in 1881; C. HI. Henthorn came from Illinois in 1884; David Lloyd came from Kansas in 1878; Fred Newberry
360
IHISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
came from Illinois in 1881; John IIansen came in 1882; John Johnson came in 1883; Charles Akersen came in 1883; John Hansen came in 1881; A. L. Entreken came in 1886 from Illinois; A. J. Swanson came from Bureau County, Illinois, in 1882; Aaron Wiley came from Louisiana in 1879; C. W. Baldwin came in 1893; James W. De Vore came from Iowa in 1875; N. W. Peterson came in 1885; L. P. Wallaston came in 1893; A. J. Gustafson came from Chicago in 1881; Robert Stewart came from Illinois in 1872; Swan Anderson came from Princeton, Illinois, in 1883; Elias Olson came from Saunder County in 1881; Swan A. Stowell came from Iowa in 1885; Swan Youngquest came from Illinois in 1880; O. M. Scott came in 1892; J. D Henthorn came from Illinois in 1885; D. E. Squier came from Illinois in 1888; J. V. Leymaster came to the county from Illinois in 1873; Jolm Blixt came from Sweden in 1877; J. H. Piatt came from Illinois in 1889; Wm. Levick came from Illinois in 1891; Oscar Berggren came from Chicago in 1883; P. Skokesburg came from Sweden in 1880; A. P. Moberg came from Illinois in 1885, but formerly from Sweden in 1871; the W. H. Streeter land was rented, also that of E. R. Verden of Princeton, Illinois, John Adams, Lincoln, Nebraska, and J. W. Eaton of Aurora; C. J. Berg came from Sweden in 1891; A. W. Clark of Papillion, Nebraska, bought the Olaf Swanson farm; W. M. Osborn came from Iowa in 1879; Andrew Nelson came from Saunders County in 1880; A. G. Fleming came from Chicago in 1883 and bought the MeDonald farm; Claus Peterson came from Chicago in 1882; Swan N. Peterson came from Chicago in 1883; Mrs. Charles M. Squier, formerly Mrs. A. M. Guilford, came from Illinois; J. P. Howell came from Iowa in 1872; Alwin Sundburg came from Omaha in 1896; Adolph Ertergrin came in 1884; Hamilton Tivis came from Illinois in 1870; the Fred O. Peterson farm was rented to Wm. Nelson; K. P. Swanson came from Sweden in 1880, and to this county from Illinois in 1881; E. E. J. Hainer owned the Unzecker place in this vicinity; Alfred Gunnerson came from Sweden in 1867 and to Hamilton County in 1883; Emil Johnson came in 1889, bonght of Oscar Gunnerson of Princeton, Illinois, who still owned land here in 1897; S. J. Hill came from lowa in 1885; the Wm. Kee estate and Isaac N. Long had places rented ont; George L. Sands came in 1884; P. T. Nelson of Boone, Iowa, rented his land to George Nelson; Henry Berggren came from Chicago in 1882; J. Magnuson came from Chicago in 1888; Catherine Nordgren (widow of John J. Nordgren) in 1897 was the largest holder of land in the county except the Bnte estate; George Fowler, Frank Gustafson and Charles Anderson rented their places; A. Dahl came from Chicago in 1883; Wm. S. Long came from Seward County in 1880; John Ferguson, Jr., had P. M. Johnson as a renter ; T. J. Graham came from Indiana in 1877; P. G. Hlixon came from Ohio in 1872; J. D. May came from Iowa in 1883: Mrs. Carrie Guilford, John Jones, J. P. Bute and J. C. Wil- son rented out their land in this locality.
GRANT PRECINCT
Thomas Smith came from Pennsylvania in 1883; Hans Bundegard came from Iowa in 1881; A. E. Siekman of Aurora came from Illinois in 1880, and bought raw prairie; Lewis Bald came from Wisconsin in 1877; Peter Jacoby bought railroad land in 1878; E. L. Kemper came in 1884 from Wisconsin ;
361
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
Wm. Childe came from Indiana in 1885; Joseph Damond came from Wiscon- sin in 1885; Carl Swanson came from Sweden in 1883; Isaac Neander came from Sweden in 1872; John Reed came from Iowa in 1886; John Pierson came from Lincoln in 1885; Wm. Miche came from Illinois in 1877; O. D. Shankland came from Indiana in 1880; Thomas Powell came from Indiana in 1882; D. D. Gaddis came from Illinois in 1888; I. S. Byers came from Pennsylvania in 1886 and bought out S. S. Sears; George Kemper came from Wisconsin in 1883; Wm. Cox came from Illinois in 1883; Fred Wolf came from Illinois in 1872; Joseph Fyfe came from Iowa in 1877; S. A. Purdy came from Illi- nois in 1881; Samuel W. Lantzer, Jr., came from Illinois in 1872; Joshua Isaac came from Illinois in 1879; Charles Robinson came from Illinois in 1880; Frederick MeCarty came from lowa in 1893; Samuel Gressly came from Illi- nois in 1871; D. F. Shear came from Illinois in 1882; James Lockhart came from Cass County in 1882; Frederick Coykendall owned a place in 23-11-6; Henry Bohn bought out Henry Liebhart in 1894; M. B. Mathews came in 1871; E. A. Sprague came from Illinois in 1882; Bert Foss came from Illinois in 1883 and bought out George Culver; L. F. Fye was one of the first settlers; B. F. Liebhart came from Illinois in 1881; W. W. Foss came from Illinois in 1884; J. S. Armstrong came from Illinois in 1882; D. H. Tunison came from Iowa in 1887; C. S. Leymaster came from Illinois in 1869, and H. H. Leymaster came in 1880; Rasmus Nelson came from Denmark in 1879; C. G. Peterson came from Russia in 1880; Mossilon Rechards came from Indiana in 1881; Stephen Rollins came in 1884; M. D. James came from Iowa, in 1872; Nelson Kuteli came from Iowa in 1872; David Patrick came from Lucas County, Iowa, in 1872; Mr. and Mrs. (Moses) Foss came from Illinois in 1874; Mr. Foss died about 1894; Mose Phillips came from Pike County, Illinois; N. P. Spafford came from Adrian, Michigan, in 1870; Ben Fye came from Stevenson County, Illinois, in 1872; Frank Hammond came from Iowa in 1883; W. C. Hackenbary was a son of Jake Hackenbary, one of the earliest settlers.
VALLEY
James A. Wilson came from England in 1875; Frederick Harrison had come from England in 1873; Adam S. Leymaster came from Illinois in 1873; Christian Schluski came from Persia in 1874; Paul Strehlow came from Iowa in 1873; Joseph Klemper came from Illinois in 1881; Lewis H. Hansen came from Illinois in 1882; Amos Curtiss came in 1871; Albert Kemp came from sey came from Illinois in 1873; C. C. Ling came from Illinois in 1873; Andrew Sweedberg came from Iowa in 1883; Lewis E. Pillard came from Iowa in 1877; John Richards came from Indiana in 1880; Peter C. Olson came from Illinois in 1881; Rev. A. W. Harney came from Illinois in 1883, bought of J. M. Cox; John Stripling came from Germany in 1872; Samuel Hogg came from Illinois in 1882; Amos Curtis came in 1871; Albert Kemp came from Germany in 1881; R. L. Ahara came from Wisconsin in 1880; Diedrick Boach came from Seward in 1884; Herman Peetzske came from York County in 1879; Christian Wagner came from Illinois in 1872; John Vogt came from Fillmore County in 1879; Amos Moeller, son of Fred Moeller, came from Indiana in 1873; Peter Peterson came from Illinois in 1881: R. Peterson came from Illi- mois in 1883; H. P. Christensen came from Illinois in 1881 ; Robert Hankel came
362
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
from Seward County in 1873; Frederick Klute came in 1884; Wm. Klenker came from Iowa in 1880; August Werth of this county came from Germany as early as 1867, and Wm. Moeller came from Germany in 1874; Hans Larson came from Illinois in 1890; John E. Hendrickson came from Illinois in 1875; Tom Fagan came from New York in 1877; J. K. Strohm came from Illinois in 1885; Charles Johns came from Illinois in 1885; Charles Smith came from New York in 1875; Wm. Sprague came from Iowa in 1893, bought the Gabe Ocker place; Ilans Gibson came from Illinois in 1881; John Olson came from Iowa in 1884; Peter Christensen came from Denmark in 1874; Nels Christen- sen came from Denmark in 1877; Kunte Henrieksen came from Denmark in 1872; P. Peterson came from Denmark in 1879; Wm. Eberhard came from Rus- sia in 1874; Andres Morgenson came from Illinois in 1872; Jens Madsen came from Chicago in 1878; A. P. Henricksen came from Illinois in 1870; Frederick Wandersee came from Wisconsin in 1880; John Panitz came from Wisconsin in 1877; Mrs. Louisa Rhode came in 1872; Fred Schell came from Lincoln, Illi- nois, in 1875; Robert Fentser came from Wisconsin in 1873; Angust Zierott came from Illinois in 1871; Carl W. Zierott came from Illinois in 1870; Henry Kath came from Iowa in 1871; John Hansen came from Michigan in 1872; R. E. Mason came from Wisconsin in 1881. Hans J. Johnson came in 1880 from Wisconsin. He bought out Fred Larson. John R. Cooper came in 1885 from England to Illinois and then on out to Hamilton County. Nels Bartel- son came from Denmark in 1879. Lars Eskildsen came to the county in 1877. Andrew Hansen came in 1879 from Denmark. C. Hansen also came from Denmark, in 1880, and bought railroad land here. John Ran came in 1879 from Germany and like many others bought railroad land.
OTIS PRECINCT
H. H. Shrader came in 1879; Hans Nelson came from Omaha in 1881; Sorn Peterson came from Denmark in 1882; Nels Hansen came from Minnesota in 1881; Mads Madsen came from Illinois in 1873; II. P. Madsen came from Illi- nois in 1870; Wm. Sales came from Michigan in 1874; Martin Kohtz came from Illinois in 1872; IIerman Budnick from Wisconsin in 1875; August Dobberstein came from Germany in 1873; W. J. Wilhelmson came from Iowa in 1878: Frank M. Hilligas came from Indiana in 1884; C. M. Knutzen came from Wis- consin in 1880; Mrs. Lucy A. Whittemore came from Iowa to a homestead here in 1871; A. P. Petersen came from Illinois in 1878; N. M. Garwood came from Illinois in 1881; Henry Mahnkin came from Missouri in 1887; Wm. Hausten eame from Illinois in 1879; Michael Young came from Ohio in 1873; A. R. Brownell from Canada in 1873: J. B. Wessel came from Illinois in 1882; J. T. Voorhees came in 1889; Frank Fenster came in 1887; Henry Smith came from Illinois in 1879.
SOUTH PLATTE
J. W. Otis came from Ohio in 1873 and was about the first settler in this locality; David L. Hixson came from Ohio in 1876; Parcels Willis came from Ohio in 1875, took a soldier's homestead; Sylvester Hickman came in 1872 from Iowa; Joseph Warneka came from Freeport, Illinois, in 1877, on his way to the western gold fields and like many others got stranded, stopped over
363
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
and stayed here; Erie Wilson came from Sweden in 1882; Wmn. Zingham came from Wisconsin in 1877; Rine Raymore came from Wisconsin in 1877; J. M. Peterson came from Chicago in 1883; M. Kay came from Illinois in 1882, bought of J. D. Hickman ; Frederick IIerbig came from Illinois in 1879; Jolin Carl came from Illinois in 1873; Daniel Frye came from Illinois in 1872; Otho and Albert Carlson came from Illinois in 1889; E. A. MeReynolds came from Pennsylvania in 1890; Charles Medike came from Freeport, Illinois. in 1879; B. F. Bossingham came from Illinois in 1887; Reuben H. Line came from Maryland in 1884; James F. Adams came from Iowa in 1873; Hiram Decker came from Iowa in 1879; John T. Lower came in 1873; C. H. Parmale & Co. of Pattsmonth with D. E. Seiver as local partner or manager at Mar- quette, bought land here; D. E. Seiver came out from Cass County, Nebraska, in 1892; Joseph M. Shaneyfeldt came from Pennsylvania in 1884; James Laurie came from Philadelphia and was a very early resident in this locality; Alexan- der Power came from Iowa in 1883; Frank W. Karr came from Iowa in 1883; J. W. Herbig came from Germany in 1867; Joseph A. Schertz bought the J. W. Cowley place, coming in 1892; J. M. Ward came from Iowa in 1870; Peter Larson came from Illinois in 1882; Ernest Stackerman came from Illinois in 1872; M. Leibhart came from Illinois in 1872; R. A. Hiatt came from Illinois in 1871; Zach Larsen came from Davenport in 1881; Peter Peterson came from Wisconsin in 1887; Chris Fedderson came from Illinois in 1881; Nels Ander- son came from Michigan in 1877; Hans Peterson came from Merrick County in 1881; Rasmus Peterson, a B. & M. employe, bought an eighty adjoining the village of Marquette; Peter Hedblom came from Sweden in 1865; John Hobert came from Seward, Nebraska, in 1879; George Western came in 1873; J. T. Burden came from Wisconsin in 1886; Andrew M. Johnson came in 1881; Aaron Eichelberger came from Ohio in 1886 and bought ont James Thomas; J. P. Jones came from Seward in 1873; Cal Wilson came from Illinois in 1877; Ed Nugent came from Illinois in 1872; Il. P. Johnson came from Illinois in 1885; P. L. Peterson came from Illinois in 1877; R. Cox came from Illinois in 1883, for some time was agent for a grain commission house, but had an eighty ad- joining the townsite of Marquette.
BLUFF PRECINCT
In this northeast corner of the county the editor found Andrew Bush, who came from Indiana in 1873; W. A. Milsap came from Iowa in 1872; L. P. Lar- son came from Wisconsin in 1879; Jacob Thompson came from Illinois in 1883; A. B. Buek came from Wisconsin in 1882; H. J. Perrel came from Indiana in 1875; Claus Anderson came from Illinois in 1884; Sam Rollins came from England in 1871; Robert MeMurrin, Sr., came from Iowa in 1873; Peter Jacobsen came from New York in 1879; Wm. H. Schertz came from Illinois in 1891; J. T. Martel came from Wisconsin in 1869; Charles Fenster came from Wisconsin in 1872; Jacob Hansen came from Texas in 1879; James Hilligas came from Indiana in 1873; A. B. Nissen came from Denmark in 1874; Jacob N. Busk came in 1875; Andreas Nissen came from Denmark in 1882; John Nis- sen came from Illinois in 1873, from Denmark in 1871; A. P. Iloegh came from Texas in 1872; Hans Lagoni came from Illinois in 1890; Nels Il. Anderson came
Vol. 1-24
364
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
from Wisconsin in 1878; M. W. James came from Iowa in 1883; C. Jensen came from Wisconsin in 1886; Thomas Kuntsen came in 1880; Charles Rasmussen came from Denmark in 1881; II. J. Olsen came from Denmark in 1882; A. F. Samnelson came from Illinois in 1885; Frank Gion came from Wisconsin in 1873; S. A. Swanson came from Minnesota in 1887; Peter Christenson came from Wisconsin in 1882; Isaae Lampshire came from Wisconsin in 1879; L. C. Anderson came from Denmark in 1882; J. HI. Widder came from Ohio in 1879; M. Castle came from Illinois in 1876; Jolin Stranberg came from Iowa in 1879; Wm. Campbell came from Iowa in 1873; John Jackson came from Iowa in 1883; Lars Lindstrom came from Iowa in 1879; Charles Osterman came here from Massachusetts in 1883, bought railroad land; Carl Hahn came from Iowa in 1882; E. W. Hahan, C. P. Hahn, Ed. Austin, David Wildman and Samuel Clayton owned land in this vicinity; S. W. Bottorf came from Sarpy County in 1892; S. A. Nyborg came from Pennsylvania in 1877; John Bangson came here from Pennsylvania in 1878; John Nicholson came from California in 1879; Charles Lindahl rented some of Letzenburg's land; Isaac Benson rented out his land; Alfred Carlson came from illinois in 1886; J. R. MeMurrin came from Iowa in 1872; August Randolph came from Illinois; Henry Rasmusson came from Wisconsin in 1877; Mrs. Sophia Jones came from Iowa in 1881; H. O. Failing came from Michigan in 1878; C. Ueckhert came from Missouri in 1879, and bought railroad land; John Wagner came from Illinois in 1873; P. M. Johnson came from Pennsylvania in 1877; Newton Nason came from Illinois in 1877; John Litzenberg came from Iowa in 1882; J. M. Hewitt came from Iowa in 1882; John Swanson, H. C. Hewett and Ira H. Wildman were land- lords here; Mrs. Betsy Conner came from Iowa in 1881; D. C. Bjorkman and Nelson Bangson came from Pennsylvania in 1878; Andrew Erickson came from łowa in 1873; Chas. J. Swanson came in 1874; Peter Erickson came from Iowa in 1873; Alex Lyon bought of his father, O. P. Lyon, who came here from Minnesota in 1878: John Larson came from Illinois in 1881; E. A. Naffziger came from Illinois in 1893; George Cohagen came from Seward County and formerly from lowa in 1877; Thomas Timmons came here from Iowa in 1874; L. P. Jones came from Sweden in 1884; P. A. and C. O. Erickson rented of their father, Peter Erickson; Mrs. Johanna Reed came from Sweden; John Benson came from Iowa in 1872; Il. C. Page, York, E. B. Whittaker, Central ('ity, rented out their land ; W. H. Dizney came from Kentucky in 1895; Hiram B. West came from Missouri in 1881; M. W. Foster came from Seward County in 1885; A. L. Streeter came from Iowa in 1890; I. N. Shenk came from Saun- ders County in 1879, bought railroad land; Rudolph Reckenberger came from Indiana in 1890; August Larson came from Illinois in 1883; Geo. W. Grosvenor came from lowa in 1872; John Joseph came from Polk County in 1893; Chas S. Anderson came from New York in 1878.
THE STORY OF THE CENSUS
The Federal Census tells for Hamilton County the very common story of the past two decades in this agricultural country. It reflects the growth of the city of Aurora, and towns such as Hampton, Marquette, Phillips, Stockham
365
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
and Giltner, while ten or eleven precincts, especially all of those not including an incorporated town, show a decrease.
This does not speak with reflections against the county as a whole. When one considers the increasing use of farm-power machinery, self-operating equip- ment, trucks, tractors and motor cars, one can readily see where fewer people could till the same amount of land and farm the same aggregate acreage than formerly was required.
· Minor civil division.
1920
1910
1900
Hamilton County
13,237
13,459
13,330
Aurora precinet
592
689
674
Beaver precinct
638
674
784
Bluff precinct, including Hordville village
759
615
619
City precinet, co-extensive with Aurora eity
2,962
2,630
1,921
Deepwell precinct
537
588
631
Farmers Valley precinct
617
636
664
Grant precinct
543
605
746
Hamilton precinct
491
553
673
Monroe precinct
663
651
801
Orville precinet, including Stockham village
760
790
755
Otis precinct
682
735
750
Phillips precinet, including Phillips village.
586
619
590
Scoville precinct
458
515
642
South Platte precinct, including Marquette village
976
1,043
929
Union precinet, including Huntington village (P. O. Giltner)
898
970
943
Valley precinet, including Hampton village
1,075
1,022
1,075
Cedar Valley precinct
124
133
Incorporated place.
1920
1910
1900
Aurora city
2,962
2,630
1,921
Hampton village
457
383
367
Hordville village
191
...
Huntington village (P. O. Giltner)
387
410
282
Marquette village
305
290
210
Phillips village
274
274
186
Stockham village
239
189
169
CHAPTER III
REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER SETTLERS
OLD SETTLERS REMINISCENCES-NARRATIVE BY MRS. BRAY-NARRATIVE BY JOHN HARRIS-NARRATIVE BY MRS. CAMERON-LAST PAWNEE HUNT, BY L. ISAMAN- LIFE AMONG PLAIN INDIANS, JAMES MOONEY-DEATH AND BIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT MILLER-OBITUARY, LANA A. BATES-STORY OF HOW GENERAL DELEVAN BATES WON HIS STAR-THE BLACK REGIMENT-WHERE ARE THE OLD SETTLERS? ( MRS. LORA I. RUSSELL).
OLD SETTLERS' REMINISCENCES
In 1915 the Aurora Republican prompted a series of contributions from old settlers and former residents of the county, which are invaluable and much more far-reaching than their original intended purpose. The story of the early days, told in their own language, whether flowery or not, by those who actually under- went the experienees, and while they are still with us, far outstrips the com- pilation of members of a later generation.
The first one of these reprodueed here related to pioneer experiences and was prepared by Mrs. Bray. Therein she tells about the Sioux raid, and five children being stolen and two murders committed by the savages in the summer of 1867.
NARRATIVE BY MRS. BRAY
As I have been requested by several friends to write agam and tell of some of the incidents of the early days in Hamilton county, I will jot down a few as I remember them. Most of the letters I have read begin in the '70s, so I will have to begin further back. When we eame in May, '67, there were only a few families here, Jarvis Chaffee and wife and George Hieks and wife. They lived at the forks of the river, two or three miles west of Stockham. East of us two and one-half miles, in York county, were three families, Mr. Henderson, Dan George and R. Fairbank. West of Grand Island and on the Platte were five or six families. South of us about thirty miles were a few settlers on the Little Blue. There was not even a footpath after we left the old freight road. There were no trees only along the streams. As far as eye could see it was one end- less view of prairie. The grass grew in bunches. Every now and then a drove of antelopes would jump up and run away.
We went on our claims the first day of June, 1867. We drove our wagons near the river. The next morning as my sister-in-law and I were by the cov- ered wagons fixing things up, just across a little gully came the blackest elk I have ever seen. It was as much surprised as we were and stopped and looked at us, then turned and ran the other way. We told the men when they came that
366
367
HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
they could catch it as it was tired out, as it ram with its tongue ont, but we learned afterwards that was a habit they had.
In those days there was but little rain, but the 10th of June there came a regular downpour. There was nothing to keep the water back and it all came down the hills and gullies and caused a terrible rise of the river. The men folks used a wagon box for a boat.
The 8th of July my brother's boy was born, he being the first child born in Hamilton county. About the 24th of Angust a small band of Sioux Indians made a raid on the settlers on the Little Blue and captured a boy and girl belonging to a Polander. They took the boy a short distance and killed him and left him lying in the bushes, but took the girl with them. When they got to the settlement west of Grand Island they shot and killed Mrs. Graham. She had a babe in her arms and a little boy 2 or 3 years old. They left them by the dead mother and went on to Mr. Campbell's. There they destroyed all they could and took two small boys, a small girl and two young women prisoners. The small girl got away and hid in the oats field. Then they went on and joined the tribe at North Platte. Afterwards government bought the five, and they came back.
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